Gus Garcia Young Men's Leadership Academy

Language Arts

The Gus Garcia YMLA English Language Arts (ELA) Department fosters critical and independent thinking skills through close readings of novels and texts. By exposing the young men to a variety of genres, students are able to demonstrate comprehension through Thinking Maps and daily Reading Journals.

We also offer Pre-AP courses where students are pushed to be their best academic self, reaching beyond the provided curriculum to achieve a deeper understanding of literay works.

Assignments are differentiated to meet students' needs while allowing them to demonstrate their understanding of a text. Their learning includes:

  • Whole class novel studies
  • Collaborative, project-based activities
  • Peer tutors
  • Cornell Notes
  • Inclusion model to assist whole class and individual needs
  • BLEND (Canvas) & Google classroom
  • Interactive Reading Journals
  • Foldables
  • Analytical essay writing

Through these strategies, the ELA department creates a positive learning environment that supports student leadership and student centered learning. Our students are challenged daily to meet the high expectations given by their teachers.

We meet daily in a Professional Learning Community where we collaborate to ensure that the lessons are rigourous and aligned with state standards, and meet our students' needs.